Rochester Subway, Photo (1951)

Rochester Subway at Rowlands Loop. September 8, 1951. (Rollover the image to zoom)

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Rochester Subwayin SpectacularKodachrome Color

While a two-mile stretch of the Rochester Subway operated beneath
Broad Street, most of the subway line ran in an open air
cutpreviously the bed of the Erie Canal. This photo was taken on
September 8, 1951 at the Rowlands loop.

Rowlands loop was the eastern terminus of the subway from 1929 until the abandonment
of the line in 1956. The point was apparently named after a local property
owner. It was in the middle of nowhere when the line was built. Later there were
homes constructed on nearby tracts. Rowlands was near Monroe Avenueroughly
where the 590 Pittsford interchange is today.

Car 48 (shown) was originally built in 1916 by the Cincinnati Car Company for the
Rome-Little Falls interurban line of New York State Railways. In 1937 this
car was moved to Rochester for service in the subway. This photo was taken
shortly after all the subway cars were repainted by the Rochester Transit Corp.
in a dark red and cream color schemeto match the companys bus fleet.
Car 48, along with all but one other 46-series car, was scrapped in 1956.

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After the Erie Canal was rerouted south of downtown Rochester, the Rochester
Industrial & Rapid Transit Railway (the subway) was built in
its place as a link between the five different railroads and interurban trolley
lines that served the Rochester area. As the industrial landscape of Rochester
changed, and highways replaced the railroads, the Rochester subway gradually
became a relic of a bygone era. In 1956 the subway was abandoned and much of
its route was converted into Interstate 490  built to connect Rochester
with the New York State Thruway (I-90).Read more about the history of the Rochester Subway.

RochesterSubway.com exists to help spark
public dialogue around how we can better connect the neighborhoods of Rochester
NY, surrounding communities, and their cultural offerings. Rochesters
future is written in her past. Let's rediscover it.